How do I create free shipping rules in Shopify?

What free shipping rules mean for your store

Free shipping rules allow you to decide when customers don’t have to pay for delivery. They help encourage larger orders, reduce cart abandonment, and make your offers more attractive during checkout.

For example, you might offer:

• “Spend a minimum amount and get free delivery”
• “Buy 3 items and shipping is on us”

In Shopify, free shipping can be applied in two ways:

• Discount codes – Customers enter a code like FREESHIP at checkout.
• Automatic discounts – Free shipping applies instantly when conditions are met, with no code required.

Things to plan before setting up free shipping

• Know your average delivery cost per order.
• Decide a minimum order value that protects your profit.
• Choose whether free shipping should apply to everyone or only selected customers.
• Ensure your shipping zones and rates are already configured in Settings > Shipping and delivery.

Creating a free shipping code

1. Open your Shopify admin and go to Discounts.
2. Click Create discount.
3. Select Free shipping from the discount type options.
4. The page opens with Discount code selected by default.
5. Enter a short, easy-to-remember code name (for example, FREESHIP).
6. Under Countries, choose where this applies:
   • All countries – Free shipping everywhere
   • Selected countries – Limit free shipping to specific regions
7. Optional: Enable Exclude shipping rates over a certain amount if you want to block expensive delivery options.
8. Under Minimum purchase requirements, choose one:
   • No minimum requirements
   • Minimum purchase amount
   • Minimum quantity of items
9. Under Eligibility, select who can use this code:
   • All customers
   • Specific customer segments
   • Specific customers
10. Under Maximum discount uses, set limits if needed:
    • Limit total number of uses
    • Limit to one use per customer
11. Under Combinations, choose whether this can combine with:
    • Product discounts
    • Order discounts
12. Under Active dates, set:
    • Start date and time
    • Optional end date for limited-time offers
13. Click Save.

Setting up automatic free shipping

1. Go to Discounts and click Create discount.
2. Select Free shipping.
3. Switch the method from Discount code to Automatic discount.
4. Enter a customer-facing title that appears in the cart and checkout.
5. Under Countries, choose:
   • All countries
   • Selected countries
6. Optional: Enable Exclude shipping rates over a certain amount.
7. Under Minimum purchase requirements, set:
   • Minimum purchase amount
   • Minimum quantity of items

   Setting a minimum is strongly recommended for automatic free shipping.

8. Under Eligibility, choose who qualifies:
   • All customers
   • Specific customer segments
   • Specific customers
9. Choose whether this can combine with other discounts.
10. Set start date and optional end date.
11. Click Save.

Popular free shipping setups

How to promote your free shipping

• Add a banner to your homepage.
• Show cart messages like “You’re close to free shipping.”
• Mention it on product pages.
• Include it in email campaigns.
• Highlight it during checkout.

What customers experience at checkout

When customers meet your free shipping conditions, Shopify automatically removes delivery charges and shows Free shipping as the selected shipping option.

If free shipping does not appear

• Confirm the discount is active.
• Check whether minimum order conditions are met.
• Verify customer eligibility settings.
• Review your shipping zones and delivery rates.

Common problems and quick fixes

Final takeaway

Automatic free shipping with a minimum order value around 20–30% higher than your average order size is one of the most effective ways to increase sales and reduce cart abandonment. Test different thresholds and track results to find what works best.